Three weeks ago tomorrow, I took a refreshing dip into Lake Lou Yaeger in the name of Stamp Out Cancer, the Montgomery County Cancer Association and the family of Eric and Stacy Lamb, who probably know better than almost anyone what we are going through with this whole INAD unpleasantness. It was an awesome experience and I was glad to be a part of it.
The plunge did have a downside though, besides the fact I had to use an ice scrapper to get my socks off my feet and I fell on my butt in front a hundred or so people. After I got out, I figured I would take a quick sub-zero selfie, because that's what the kids are doing. It was at that point that I realized that my selfie-taking device, aka my phone, was in my pocket… of the pants I just jumped into the lake in.
After some failed attempts to get it working again, we discovered that the phone was a lost cause. Water damaged the screen, meaning that the phone would turn on, but you couldn't answer it or see anything.
In all honesty, I wasn't worried about it that much. I've been trying to unplug a little more and if Lake Lou forced the issue, so be it. It was a little strange though. I wasn't able to talk to Mary any time I wanted. I wasn't able to get updates on how the North Dakota State men's basketball team or Tottenham Hotspur soccer team was doing.
And I wasn't able to use Twitter, which has become a fairly big part of my job. My Twitter updates aren't crucial by any means, they usually just consist of the score or a few random thoughts, but they are a great way to connect with the next generation of Journal-News subscribers, the people who will be paying my exorbitant salary someday.
Still, I had gotten used to being without my phone. I had better conversations, in particularly with my Grandma Virginia and my beautiful wife Mary. I didn't waste my free time on things that didn't matter. I enjoyed watching the game more and interacting with those around me who were doing the same.
It was nice, and still would be, but all good things must end. Today, my father-in-law was nice enough to loan me his old phone, so I would at least have something to get me by for a while. I might have been able to go a little longer, but there was some fear on my part about being stranded in the middle of nowhere on my way home from a game.
To be honest though, one thing made me miss my phone more than anything. Yesterday I was sitting at home, feeding Grace dinner before taking her up to the "Sparkles for Grace" party Mary was at. For the better part of 30 minutes, my princess was non-stop smiles in between waffle bites. We hadn't been able to spend much time together lately due to work stuff, so it was by far the best part of my day.
Those kind of moments are what Mary and I's "#foreverhappydays" project is all about. It's capturing those small little moments that we say we will never forget, but we always do. I'll remember going to Disney World with Grace or the Volley for Grace games or our Make-A-Wish trip, but it's harder to remember those stolen moments. And this time I didn't have a way to capture it.
That's why I missed my phone. I'm all about living the experience, but sometimes I want a souvenir from that experience. I'm still going to try to use my phone less, but it's nice having a way to grab that souvenir when I want to.
KRH
No comments:
Post a Comment